I have a confession to make. 2 years ago I
wouldn’t have voted for Peter Kenneth as
president. It’s not because I didn’t think he
wouldn’t make a great president it’s just that
I didn’t think he was ready, as in hakuwa
ameiva. The politics of the last 2 years have
convinced me that this is the time when he
should stand. The character and integrity of
other leaders who are standing for the top
seat in the country have made me realize
there is no time to waste. We cannot afford
to have a leader who is more concerned with
being president and the power that comes
then the welfare of its citizens. When we look
at the leaders who are running for president
let’s look at their development records. How
can you run a country well when you can’t
even run your constituency well? I believe
Peter Kenneth’s development record speaks
for itself.
I have always admired Peter Kenneth and his
development record. How his constituency
CFD funds have been well allocated and used.
Even in my rural ushago (my paternal
grandparents live in Nairobi) they talk about
Peter Kenneth and how he has developed his
constituency. People even come from other
countries to see how his constituency is run
while other Kenyan MP’s are busy snoozing. It
is a case study internationally on proper
governance and use of government funds.
Another reason why I have always liked Peter
Kenneth is because he has as an MP paid
taxes, not just on his basic salary which all
MP’s do but on his allowances as well. He is
only one of two MP’s to do so. And this is
without being coerced. For me the issue of
paying taxes is so personal. I have written
many posts on MP’s and their refusal to pay
tax including Mr. Politician I am so mad right
now . They say that in life only two things are
certain, death and taxes.
By the way it is not that we like paying tax
but we know we have to pay taxes. It’s not
like we have a choice in the first place
because the money is deducted by our
employers even before we see our salaries.
Sometimes I look at my payslip and think the
things I could do with that money. Anyway
taxes are used by the government to run the
country, to do things like provide
infrastructure, security, governance,
healthcare, affordable education etc. so even
though I resent sometimes having to pay that
Pay As You Earn, especially when I see MP’s
allocating themselves huge salaries which they
don’t want to pay taxes on, most times I
know that paying taxes is a necessary evil.
When I managed to catch up with Peter
Kenneth at a forum organized by the Rotaract
Club of Nairobi Central he talked about how
much it costs the country when the President
or the Prime Minister travels out of the
country. It’s not just the president who
travels, it’s his staff, plus the additional cost
of Ministers, and hangers on like bodyguards
and such which makes foreign trips so
expensive. Peter Kenneth joked about once
being in China with another Minister, and
they missed space on a connecting flight to
another city but the other Minister’s two
bodyguards made the flight. It was very
ironical because the bodyguards who were to
protect that minister left him and the reason
they were there was to protect that minister.
Such kind of trips with big entourages he said
end up wasting a lot of money that could be
used elsewhere. Ha a man who is conscious
that just because the government has money
(most of it borrowed) doesn’t mean it used
be used recklessly.
Peter Kenneth says that in the last four years
we have gotten into debt to the tune of 1.7
trillion which we will have to pay for and our
kids also. Where has this money gone?
Apparently we are the country with the 2nd
highest debt (borrower) in the world. Greece
in number one. These are things we need to
think about as we go into the next election.
According to me Peter Kenneth has a good
grasp on the situation. I think he will do a
great job in making sure that the country’s
funds are used in a good way and also be
accountable for it if his record on CDF is
anything to go by. I also like that his running
mate Tuju also has a great record in using
CDF funds for development. For more insights
into what he talked about read the article
here .
I finally got a chance to read a copy of a
simplified Peter Kenneth’s policy document.
There are two major issues central to his
campaign employment and security. Peter
Kenneth intends to tackle the above two
problems by addressing 6 key pillars that
must be properly in place in order to remedy
the problems of employment and food
security: infrastructure, security,
environment, education, healthcare, and
water. There are 4 key drivers to ensure the 6
pillars are flourishing: tourism, agriculture,
manufacturing, and technology.
Some of the key things I learnt were (taken
from the document)
Peter Kenneth on remarkable change in
Gatanga. In his own words this is because he
and his team ‘focus on fewer projects with
higher impact.’ This is the same approach
that he will use to govern the nation of Kenya
back to its former glory.
On food security Africa has remained a net
importer of food and countries dependent on
imports of major food staples have been
vulnerable to global food price hikes and
volatility. Peter Kenneth takes the issue of
food security as a top priority and is
committed to step up regional coordination of
early warning systems, rebuild emergency
food stocks, accelerate design and
implementation of emergency food reserve
systems and scale up safety net programs;
Develop national and regional market-based
mechanisms and financial instrument to
manage risks and smooth food import costs,
and remove all food export bans within Africa
to enable food to flow from surplus to deficit
areas; Integrate increased climate variability
into national and regional food security
strategies. It is necessary to improve the
National Cereals and Produce Board’s capacity
for storage and decentralize to breadbasket
areas and automate them. Kenya is growing at
a rate of over 1 million a year. If we are
unable to feed people at 40 million, how will
we feed them at 50?
On unemployment – The unemployment rate
in Kenya is 38%. 52% of the population in
Kenya is under 18. We are going to have a
problem when all these people flood the job
market with no opportunities.
Peter Kenneth talks about how he will deal
with these issues. Here is a copy of a
simplified version of the document Peter
Kenneth Policy Document for your reading
and critiquing pleasure. It shows how Peter
Kenneth will deal with the issues of
infrastructure, security, environment,
education, healthcare, and water. The key
drivers as well. I don’t want to copy paste the
document. You read it, interact with it, and
ask yourself if this man is the man we need
to be the servant leader of this country.
I think Peter Kenneth has a good grasp of the
issues that need to be sorted in the next five
years. I like how he simplifies his vision. I
think Kenya would be lucky to have such a
president. One thing I know and have seen is
that Peter Kenneth is not like most Kenyan
politicians who are all talk and no action. He
has shown that he is a leader of integrity. He
pays his taxes without being forced to. He has
transformed Gatanga into a model of what
our country would be if we elect him
president. He is the leader that Kenya needs.
So let’s make it happen. The time is not 2017.
There is no better time then this year 2013
for us to get a leader who is not about
politicking but about working to make sure
his constituents and ultimately Kenyans have
a better, brighter future. Tunawesmake.